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NASA NTRS1986

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) design and in-orbit performance

The design and in-orbit performance data are presented for the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) instrument which was launched by Shuttle on the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite. SAGE II is a sun photometer that measures the extinction of solar radiation caused by the earth's atmosphere in seven spectral channels ranging in center wavelength from 0.385 to 1.02 micrometers. These measurements, which occur twice each orbit during satellite sunrise and sunset, are inverted to yield vertical distributions of stratospheric aerosols, ozone, water vapor, and nitrogen dioxide. The SAGE II instrument consists of a Cassegrain telescope with a two axis gimbal mounting, a grating spectrometer, and a 12 bit data system. The instrument tracks the solar centroid in the azimuth plane and vertically scans the instrument's instantaneous field of view across the sun for tangent altitudes ranging from the earth's horizon to 150 km. SAGE II is a third generation instrument following the highly successful Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement II (SAM II) and SAGE I programs.

Mauldin, L. E., III↗

NASA NTRS2017

The Profile Envision and Splice Tool (PRESTO): Developing an Atmospheric Wind Analysis Tool for Space Launch Vehicles Using Python

Tropospheric winds are an important driver of the design and operation of space launch vehicles. Multiple types of weather balloons and Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (DRWP) systems exist at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), co-located on the United States Air Force's (USAF) Eastern Range (ER) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), that are capable of measuring atmospheric winds. Meteorological data gathered by these instruments are being used in the design of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and other space launch vehicles, and will be used during the day-of-launch (DOL) of SLS to aid in loads and trajectory analyses. For the purpose of SLS day-of-launch needs, the balloons have the altitude coverage needed, but take over an hour to reach the maximum altitude and can drift far from the vehicle's path. The DRWPs have the spatial and temporal resolutions needed, but do not provide complete altitude coverage. Therefore, the Natural Environments Branch (EV44) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed the Profile Envision and Splice Tool (PRESTO) to combine balloon profiles and profiles from multiple DRWPs, filter the spliced profile to a common wavelength, and allow the operator to generate output files as well as to visualize the inputs and the spliced profile for SLS DOL operations. PRESTO was developed in Python taking advantage of NumPy and SciPy for the splicing procedure, matplotlib for the visualization, and Tkinter for the execution of the graphical user interface (GUI). This paper describes in detail the Python coding implementation for the splicing, filtering, and visualization methodology used in PRESTO.

Orcutt, John M.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Airborne differential absorption lidar system for measurements of atmospheric water vapor and aerosols

An airborne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system has been developed at the NASA Langley Research Center for remote measurements of atmospheric water vapor (H2O) and aerosols. A solid-state alexandrite laser with a 1-pm linewidth and greater than 99.85% spectral purity was used as the on-line transmitter. Solid-state avalanche photodiode detector technology has replaced photomultiplier tubes in the receiver system, providing an average increase by a factor of 1.5-2.5 in the signal-to-noise ratio of the H2O measurement. By incorporating advanced diagnostic and data-acquisition instrumentation into other subsystems, we achieved additional improvements in system operational reliability and measurement accuracy. Laboratory spectroscopic measurements of H2O absorption-line parameters were performed to reduce the uncertainties in our knowledge of the absorption cross sections. Line-center H2O absorption cross sections were determined, with errors of 3-6%, for more than 120 lines in the 720-nm region. Flight tests of the system were conducted during 1989-1991 on the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Electra aircraft, and extensive intercomparison measurements were performed with dew-point hygrometers and H2O radiosondes. The H2O distributions measured with the DIAL system differed by less than 10% from the profiles determined with the in situ probes in a variety of atmospheric conditions.

Carter, Arlen F.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Data Information for Global Change Studies: NASA's Distributed Active Archive Centers and Cooperating Data Centers

The Earth Observing System (EOS) is an integral part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). ESE is a long-term global change research program designed to improve our understanding of the Earth's interrelated processes involving the atmosphere, oceans, land surfaces, and polar regions. Data from EOS instruments and other Earth science measurement systems are useful in understanding the causes and processes of global climate change and the consequences of human activities. The EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) provides a structure for data management and user services for products derived from EOS satellite instruments and other NASA Earth science data. Within the EOSDIS framework, the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) have been established to provide expertise in one or more Earth science disciplines. The DAACs and cooperating data centers provide data and information services to support the global change research community. Much of the development of the DAACs has been in anticipation of the enormous amount of data expected from EOS instruments to be launched within the next two decades. Terra, the EOS flagship launched in December 1999, is the first of a series of EOS satellites to carry several instruments with multispectral capabilities. Some data products from these instruments are now available from several of the DAACs. These and other data products can be ordered through the EOS Data Gateway (EDG) and DAAC-specific online ordering systems.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2023

New Mie Scattering Diffuse Targets Development and Characterization

Earth science remote sensing observations require the detection and measurement of light originating from bright targets, such as clouds, and darker targets, such as an open ocean. This requirement drives the need to design, develop, and characterize improved calibration targets in support of current and future NASA instruments. New diffuse targets to be used as spectral albedo calibration standards were developed and characterized. The new targets based on fused silica or/and pressed and sintered Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were developed to be Earth scene specific. The various reflectance levels are achieved by modifying the material parameters, thickness, and surface finish. The new targets were characterized in laboratory and simulated space environments. We acquired high accuracy reflectance and transmittance data using a precision optical scatterometer and spectrophotometer located in the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Diffuser Calibration Lab. The Total hemispherical reflectance (THR) and Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) were measured over the range of solar incident and scattered elevation and azimuthal angles typically realized on orbit by remote sensing instruments. We intend to space certify the new calibration targets after concluding on-orbit testing on the International Space Stations (ISS) scheduled for the second half of 2023.

Georgi Georgiev↗

NASA NTRS1984

Comparing tiltmeters for crustal deformation measurement - A preliminary report

Attention is given to 1.2 years of data from two Michelson-Gale long fluid tiltmeters, one long center pressure tiltmeter, and a shallow borehole tiltmeter, which have been in operation at Pinon Flat Observatory in Southern California. The most stable tilt record shows a secular rate of 0.28 microrad/a, which may be real. Comparisons undertaken among instruments have identified more and less successful measurement techniques. It is concluded that even the best existing sensors must be improved in order to measure continuous tectonic motions.

Wyatt, F.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Tools and Data Services from the NASA Earth Satellite Observations for Climate Applications

Climate science and applications require access to vast amounts of archived high quality data, software tools and services for data manipulation and information extraction. These on the other hand require gaining detailed understanding of the data's internal structure and physical implementation to data reduction, combination and data product production. This time-consuming task must be undertaken before the core investigation can begin and is an especially difficult challenge when science objectives require users to deal with large multi-sensor data sets of different formats, structures, and resolutions. In order to address these issues the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Earth Sciences (GES), Data and Information Service Center (DISC) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) has made great progress in facilitating science and applications research by developing innovative tools and data services applied to the Earth sciences atmospheric and climate data. The GES/DISC/DAAC has successfully implemented and maintained a long-term climate satellite data archive and developed tools and services to a variety of atmospheric science missions including AIRS, AVHRR, MODIS, SeaWiFS, SORCE, TOMS, TOVS, TRMM, and UARS and Aura instruments providing researchers with excellent opportunities to acquire accurate and continuous atmospheric measurements. Since the number of climate science products from these various missions is steadily increasing as a result of more sophisticated sensors and new science algorithms, the main challenge for data centers like the GES/DISC/DAAC is to guide users through the variety of data sets and products, provide tools to visualize and reduce the volume of the data and secure uninterrupted and reliable access to data and related products. This presentation will describe the effort at the GES/DISC/DAAC to build a bridge between multi-sensor data and the effective scientific use of the data, with an emphasis on the heritage satellite observations and science products for climate applications. The intent is to inform users of the existence of this large collection of data and products; suggest starting points for cross-platform science projects and data mining activities and provide data services and tools information. More information about the GES/DISC/DAAC satellite data and products, tools, and services can be found at http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov.

Vicente, Gilberto A.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Incorporating new evaluation on angular distributions and energy spectra of neutron-induced charged particle reactions into the next ENDF library release (Technical Progress Report)

This project aims to provide the improved Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) using the newly measured data as well as the latest nuclear reaction model for calculating angular distributions and energy spectra on neutron-induced charged particle reactions through the collaboration of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The LANL group will provide the experimental data for angular distributions and spectra of (n,p) and (n,α) on several structural materials such as Fe, Ni and Zn isotopes using the Low Energy Neutron-induced Charged-particle (Z) Chamber (LENZ) instrument at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). The KAERI group will provide the improved evaluated nuclear library which is based on the LANL experimental data, and further will predict angular distributions and spectra of (n,p) and (n,α) reactions on unmeasured nuclides, such as Cr, Mn, Co, Cu and so on. For the first year of this project, we planned to analyze (n,p) and (n,α) reactions for 54,56 Fe and perform new measurements on those reactions for 58,60 Ni isotopes with the LENZ instrument at LANSCE. For improving our evaluation quality, we have studied reaction models to reproduce LANL’s experimental angular distributions and energy spectra using the full Hauser-Feshbach model code, CoH3 with no approximations used. As the first year’s deliverables, we provided the experimental (n,p) and (n,α) reaction cross sections for 54,56 Fe and incorporate new evaluation on angular distributions and energy spectra of neutron-induced charged particle reactions into the current ENDF/B-VIII.0.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2017

Static Electric Fields and Lightning Over Land and Ocean in Florida Thunderstorms

Natural cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning and the charge structure of the associated clouds behave differently over land and ocean. Existing literature has raised questions over the years on the behavior of thunderstorms and lightning over oceans, and there are still open scientific questions. We expand on the observational datasets by obtaining identical electric field observations over coastal land, near-shore, and deep ocean regions during both clear air and thunderstorm periods. Oceanic observations were obtained using two 3-meter NOAA buoys that were instrumented with Campbell Scientific electric field mills to measure the static electric fields. These data were compared to selected electric field records from the existing on-shore electric field mill suite of 31 sensors at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). CG lightning occurrence times, locations and peak current values for both on-shore and ocean were provided by the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network. The buoy instruments were first evaluated on-shore at the Florida coast, to calibrate field enhancements and to confirm proper behavior of the system in elevated-field environments. The buoys were then moored 20NM and 120NM off the coast of KSC in February (20NM) and August (120NM) 2014. Statistically larger CG peak currents were reported over the deep ocean for first strokes and for subsequent strokes with new contacts points. Storm-related static fields were significantly larger at both oceanic sites, likely due to decreased screening by nearby space charge. Time-evolution of the static field during storm development and propagation indicated weak or missing lower positive charge regions in most storms that initiated over the deep ocean, supporting one mechanism for the observed high peak currents in negative first strokes over the deep ocean. This project also demonstrated the practicality of off-shore electric field measurements for safety-related decision making at KSC.

Lightning↗

NASA NTRS2017

Static Electric Fields and Lightning Over Land and Ocean in Florida Thunderstorms

Electric Fields↗

NASA NTRS1988

SMM detection of diffuse Galactic 511 keV annihilation radiation

Observations of the 511 keV annihilation line from the vicinity of the Galactic center from October to February for 1980/1981, 1981/1982, 1982/1983, 1984/1985, and 1985/1986 are presented. The measurements were made with the gamma-ray spectrometer on the SMM. The design of the instrument and some of its properties used in the analysis are described, and the methods used for accumulating, fitting, and analyzing the data are outlined. It is shown how the Galactic 511 keV line was separated from the intense and variable background observed in orbit. The SMM observations are compared with previous measurements of annihilation radiation from the Galactic center region, and the astrophysical implications are discussed. It is argued that most of the measurements made to date suggest the presence of an extended Galactic source of annihilation radiation.

Share, G. H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Nimbus 7 solar backscatter ultraviolet (SBUV) ozone products user's guide

Three ozone tape products from the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) experiment aboard Nimbus 7 were archived at the National Space Science Data Center. The experiment measures the fraction of incoming radiation backscattered by the Earth's atmosphere at 12 wavelengths. In-flight measurements were used to monitor changes in the instrument sensitivity. Total column ozone is derived by comparing the measurements with calculations of what would be measured for different total ozone amounts. The altitude distribution is retrieved using an optimum statistical technique for the inversion. The estimated initial error in the absolute scale for total ozone is 2 percent, with a 3 percent drift over 8 years. The profile error depends on latitude and height, smallest at 3 to 10 mbar; the drift increases with increasing altitude. Three tape products are described. The High Density SBUV (HDSBUV) tape contains the final derived products - the total ozone and the vertical ozone profile - as well as much detailed diagnostic information generated during the retrieval process. The Compressed Ozone (CPOZ) tape contains only that subset of HDSBUV information, including total ozone and ozone profiles, considered most useful for scientific studies. The Zonal Means Tape (ZMT) contains daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly averages of the derived quantities over 10 deg latitude zones.

Fleig, Albert J.↗

NASA NTRS2005

The Earth Science Afternoon Constellation: Preparing for Autonomous but Coordinated Operations

This paper describes how the challenges of coordinating the autonomous operations of geographically dispersed mission control centers for several small and large satellites are being overcome. The Earth Science Afternoon Constellation, also referred to as the "A-Train", is an international grouping of five NASA satellites (two major NASA EOS missions and three NASA/Earth System Science Pathfinder missions) and one French satellite orbiting in close proximity. This grouping of satellites provides scientists with the opportunity to perform coincident observations using data from two or more instruments on various satellites with measurements taken at approximately the same time. Three of the six missions are currently on-orbit, with the two missions expected to join the constellation later this year and one mission in 2007. The operational challenges are daunting for several reasons. There are several Mission Control Centers (widely separated on two continents), operating autonomously under tight budget constraints. All of the Mission Control Centers have reasons to be concerned about safety while flying in close proximity to other satellites, but most Centers did not have the resources or the desire to address this concern alone - the interfaces are too numerous and anticipated operations too costly. Clearly, an efficient approach was needed. This paper describes the steps taken to make this Earth science constellation a reality. Agreements were forged to allow the Mission Control Centers to maintain their autonomy, while ensuring their satellite's safety. Each member mission in the constellation operates independently in accordance with its own mission requirements, but the member missions have agreed to coordinate their operations, i.e., orbital positions and control to ensure the safety of the entire constellation. A centralized system was developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to collect, analyze, and distribute ephemeris data used by each of the mission teams to determine the positions of the satellites in the constellation. The system issues warnings regarding possible dangerous configurations, eliminating the need for redundant capabilities at each Mission Control Center. On-orbit contingency situations were identified and analyzed; agreements were reached in advance of contingency operations to ensure that coordination between the Mission Control Centers can be handled expeditiously and fairly. In this manner, recovery from anomalous situations can be more quickly realized, thereby increasing the science return and reducing costs. The process used to develop these contingency procedures and the systems used to facilitate the contingency resolution are described as well.

Case, Warren↗

DOE OSTI2023

Field Results from New Tensor Borehole Optical Fiber Strainmeter Installations in Oklahoma and Utah

The time evolving strain field contains a wealth of information that can be used to interpret subsurface behavior. For example, injecting or removing fluids from reservoirs or aquifers causes deformation that can be used as a diagnostic signal in some cases, while it can interfere with geodetic interpretations in other cases. We've previously demonstrated the feasibility of measuring the strain tensor at a depth of 30m caused by injection into a reservoir at 530m. The observed strain signals were interpreted using four independent analytic and numerical methods that resulted in estimates of the poroelastic properties and geometry of the reservoir that was consistent with data from well logs. However, studies like these are only possible if these deformations can be reliably measured. Years of lab and field work has culminated in the development of a novel borehole strainmeter capable of resolving multiple components of strain using embedded optical fibers configured as Michelson interferometers. It features four horizontal gauges separated by 45° to resolve the horizontal strain tensor as well as a vertical strain gauge and a sixth null component for state-of-health monitoring. The downhole sensing package also includes an open pipe through its center for grout circulation during single-trip deployments and a fully welded stainless steel exterior for robustness and longevity. These instruments have a resolution of 2x10-13 strain that can easily measure the solid earth tides. Preliminary data are available from four strainmeters in shale at our Oklahoma site and four in compacted sand and gravel in Utah. These are deployed from 40-60m, except one of the strainmeters in Oklahoma is deployed at 500m. The data include strains from the initial grout curing, comparisons to predicted earth tide models and in-situ calibration results, barometric pressure admittances and spectral analyses as well as signals from underground injections and surface waves from teleseismic events. Preliminary analyses indicate behavior consistent with other strainmeter deployments, and comparison to data from a Gladwin strainmeter at the Oklahoma site validate the performance of the new design. Analyses from a suite of six well tests at the Oklahoma site show for the first time how the strain tensor field varies with location during well testing.

DeWolf, Scott↗

NASA NTRS2010

Comparisons of the Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM) to Preliminary SDO EVE Data

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) launched February 11,2010 from Kennedy Space Center and started normal science operations in April 2010. One of the instruments onboard SDO, the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE), will measure the solar EUV irradiance from 0.1-105 nm with 0.1 nm spectral resolution as well as a measure of the broad-band Lyman-Alpha emission (121.6 nm), all with less than 10 percent uncertainties. One of the biggest improvements of EVE over its predecessors is its ability to continuously measure the complete spectrum every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This temporal coverage and cadence will greatly enhance the knowledge of the solar EUV variations during solar flares. This paper will present a comparison of the Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM), which can produce an estimated EUV spectrum at 10 seconds temporal resolution, to the preliminary results from SDO EVE. The discussion will focus on the short-term EUV flare variations and evolution.

Chamberlin, Phillip↗

NASA NTRS2010

Flare Comparisons of the Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM) to Preliminary SDO EVE Data

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) launched February 11, 2010 from Kennedy Space Center and started normal science operations in April 2010. One of the instruments onboard SDO, the EUV Variability- Experiment (EVE), will measure the solar EUV irradiance from 0.1-105 nm with 0.1 nm spectral resolution as well as a measure of the broad-band Lyman-Alpha emission (121.0 rim), all with less than 10 percent uncertainties. One of the biggest improvements of EVE over its predecessors is its ability to continuously measure the complete spectrum ever y 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This temporal coverage and cadence will greatly enhance the knowledge of the solar EUV variations during solar flares. This paper will present a comparison of the Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM), which can produce an estimated EUV spectrum at 10 seconds temporal resolution, to the preliminary flare observation results from SDO EVE. The discussion will focus on the short-term EUV flare variations and evolution.

Chamberlon, Phillip C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Overview of the Meteorological Instrumentation Utilized for the Design and Operations of Space Launch Vehicles

One of the first hurdles a space vehicle must overcome is the ability to successfully traverse Earth’s atmosphere. In order to achieve this goal, there must exist both climatological and real-time atmospheric data from the surface to the Karman line. The Natural Environments Branch at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Marshall Space Flight Center utilizes both traditional and specialized meteorological instrumentation to aide in both the design and operations of launch vehicles. Weather balloons measuring thermodynamic and wind data from 0 - 70 kft are an example of the more traditional instrumentation. While the Tropospheric Doppler Radar Weather Profiler that measures winds from roughly 5 kft – 60 kft every five minutes is an example of a more specialized instrument. Other instruments include: 915 MHz Doppler Radar Wind Profilers, rain gauges, meteorological towers, lightning detection networks, Automated Weather Observing System stations, Mobile Launcher weather stations, and more. This presentation will give a high-level overview of which instruments are utilized, how the data are acquired, and how the data are ultimately used in design and/or operations.

Nathan L. Curtis↗

NASA NTRS2021

Thunderstorm and Fair-weather Quasi-Static Electric Fields Over Land and Ocean

Natural lightning and the associated clouds are known to behave differently over land and ocean, but many questions remain. We expand the related observational datasets by obtaining simultaneous quasi-static electric field observations over coastal land, near-shore water, and deep ocean regions during both fair-weather and thunderstorm periods. Oceanic observations were obtained using two 3-m NOAA buoys that were instrumented with Campbell Scientific electric field mills to measure the quasi-static electric fields. These data were compared to selected electric field records from the existing on-shore electric field mill suite of 31 sensors at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Lightning occurrence times, locations and peak current estimates for both onshore and ocean were provided by the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network. The buoy instruments were first evaluated on-shore at the Florida coast, and the first system was calibrated for field enhancements and to confirm proper behavior of the system in elevated-field environments. The buoys were then moored 20 mi and 120 mi off the coast of KSC in February (20 mi) and August (120 mi) 2014. Diurnal fair-weather fields at both ocean sites matched will with each other and with those found during the Carnegie cruise, but mean values were 33% smaller, due at least in-part to constraints on the calibration procedure. Diurnal fair-weather fields variations at coastal and inland sites were a poorer match than offshore, likely because the offshore environment is “cleaner” with limited variations in local space charge, lower surface aerosol densities, little surface heating to disturb the surface charge layer during fair weather, and fewer local radioactive sources to modulate the near-surface electrical conductivity. Storm-related static fields were 4-5× larger at both oceanic sites than over land, likely due to decreased screening by near-surface space charge produced by corona current. The time-evolution of the electric field and field changes during storm approach are sufficiently different over land and ocean to warrant further study. This work shows the quality, accuracy, and reliability of these data, and has demonstrated the practicality of off-shore electric field measurements for safety- and launch-related decision making at KSC.

Lightning↗